Bonfire Skewers Recipes

BIG BAD BEEF SKEWERS

Steps:

• For the skewers: Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Cut off the ends of the zucchini, then trim off the sides lengthwise, creating 4 flat sides. Cut crosswise to create 1 1/2-inch cubes.
• Using six 14-inch metal skewers, skewer the beef, zucchini, tomatoes and onions, distributing the ingredients evenly among the skewers.
• For the spice mix: In a small bowl, mix together the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, lemon pepper, fennel seeds and thyme. Drizzle the skewers with the vegetable oil and season with the spice mixture. Grill the skewers until well-marked on all sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Allow to rest while making the salad.
• For the blue cheese sauce: In a mason jar, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, milk, blue cheese and some hot sauce, salt and pepper. Put on the lid and shake until evenly combined.
• For serving: Mix together the olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl.
• Add the salad greens to a serving platter and drizzle with the lemon dressing. Place the skewers over the salad greens and drizzle with the blue cheese sauce. Garnish with the parsley and blue cheese.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN SKEWERS

Steps:

• Put the vinegar, sugar, reserved pineapple juice and cornstarch slurry into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Reserve half of the sauce in a small serving bowl to be used as a dipping sauce alongside the skewers.
• Quarter the red pepper and remove the core and seeds. Slice each quarter into 6 pieces. Cut each chicken thigh into 6 pieces.
• Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor grill to medium heat.
• On each of the 8 skewers, place 1 chunk of pineapple, then a piece of chicken thigh, followed by a piece of red pepper. Repeat with another piece of pineapple then chicken, then red pepper. Season skewers with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill the skewers on oiled grill, cooking for 4 minutes on each side. Brush the sweet and sour sauce all over the skewers and grill and additional 2 minutes per side. Remove to a serving dish and serve with the reserved sweet and sour sauce, for dipping.

SAUCY BBQ SEAFOOD SKEWERS WITH NOT-SO SECRET BBQ SAUCE

Steps:

• For the sauce: Combine the tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic powder, and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.
• For the skewers: Cut scallops into halves or quarters, so that they are just slightly larger than the shrimp. Cut salmon and zucchini into chunks approximately the same size as the scallops.
• Place all the vegetables and seafood onto 4 skewers, alternating their order.
• Bring a grill or grill pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Add skewers and cook until seafood begins to turn opaque on top, about 5 minutes.
• Flip skewers and cook until all seafood is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Drizzle or brush sauce over skewers immediately after removing them from heat.

EDIBLE VEGETABLE SKEWERS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients for the spice rub together until well blended; set aside.
• Cut the zucchini and squash in half lengthwise and gently scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Place the vegetables skin side down on a sheet pan. Sprinkle them evenly with salt and let them sit for 5 minutes to sweat. Rinse them in cold water to remove the excess salt and pat them dry with paper towels. Slice them widthwise into 1-inch pieces. Using the sharper end of a chopstick, gently screw a hole through the center of each piece. Put them into the spice rub and let them marinate while you prep the carrots.
• Using a peeler, peel down the baby carrots to the width of a chopstick, leaving the top inch of the carrot to use as a handle. Gently push a piece of zucchini onto the carrot with the skin side facing the "handle" of the carrot. Next skewer a piece of squash at a 90 degree angle to the zucchini. Repeat 2 more times so that there are 2 pieces each of zucchini and squash on the carrot "skewer." Repeat until all the carrots have been used.
• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Place the skewers on the grill and cook for 3 minutes on each side or just until the vegetables are tender. Remove them to a platter and serve.